Catholic Wedding Gifts
When you agreed to take on the responsibility, paid or as a favor for a friend, you might not be aware of the fact that many of those who are invited will ply you with questions about gifts. You might want to set up a bridal registry for the bride at her favorite shop so that guests can go there to buy or pledge wedding gifts.
However, did you know that the happy couple is also responsible for giving Catholic wedding gifts, tokens of appreciation, to the wedding party? These gifts often have traditional Catholic symbolism to express their gratitude for making this a holy occasion, but the couple can offer other gifts specific to the person such as for the Best Man or Maid of Honor.
Have Fun With Tradition
One of the things which many wedding planners omit is the fun aspect of the post-ceremony wedding reception. This calls to mind such things as giving the couple a crazy song for their first dance as husband and wife instead of the traditional waltz. Get them out there with a bit of hip-hop or disco and see the guests chuckle in delight.
This is also reminiscent of that blockbuster of many years ago, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” in which plates were unceremoniously smashed with the traditional, “Opa!” being yelled in the background. The literal translation is something like, “Oops,” but no oops intended! Believe it or not, it really is a tradition at Greek weddings because of the superstition that evil spirits want to spoil the fun. So, plates are smashed to show those devious spirits that there is no fun here. Stay away!
A Day to Remember
The whole point of your duties as a wedding planner is to see to it that all the couple’s wishes for the ceremony and reception are followed but with a few surprises of your own woven into the day. While you may not be able to offer the guests plates to smash indoors, especially before the dancing begins, you could spark a bit of humor in other ways.
The point is to bring tradition together with life in the 21st century. Both aspects of a wedding are important to the meaning of marriage within the Church. A couple is inextricably bound together as one flesh in Holy Matrimony, but their life together is in the physical dimension of the world. From table settings to entertainment and everything in between, don’t forget that a traditional Catholic wedding is, indeed, rooted in tradition. All else is fair game!
